Examples and discussions that point the way for any newsroom, collected by Carl Lavin.

October 25, 2011

Suggestions for editors who want more engaged readers. Short url's included to make sharing easier.

Diwali The Hindi festival of lights starts this year on Wednesday, Oct. 26. From The Times of India:

Diwali, an auspicious religious festival celebrated by the Hindus, Sikhs and Jains with great enthusiasm and excitement that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Spectacular lights, firecrackers, irresistible traditional sweets and sending gifts to dear ones mark the celebration of Diwali.

Does your news organization reflect your community? Ask on Facebook, Twiitter and your own site about local Diwali celebrations and preparations. Ask readers to send photos.

Your Twitter feed Steve Buttry, my go-to source for tips and strategies, tells in a new blog post how to use Twitter search to find local feeds worth following. Editors who actively follow local Twitter users and engage with those users will quickly build a following. More suggestions from Steve for editors looking to connect with local Twitter followers: wp.me/poqp6-1DI

Free flu shots Local bloggers and others may do what this LATimes writer did and post well organized lists showing where free flu shots are available: http://palewire.com/free-flu-shots/

You can do the same thing, on your own site or blog. Or point to a community resource that has already done the work. Free flu shots are available everywhere from Philly http://cbsloc.al/oZVFqq to West Palm Beach FL http://bit.ly/pEb1sE. Google provides this easy-to-use map of all flu shot providers.

Do your readers know where to go?

Solar for Schools Suggested social-media prompts: Should your school go solar? Would solar-power panels cut costs and provide a learning tool for local schools? Would it be too expensive? How important is it to make school buildings into teaching tools? Are you willing to make an investment now to save future energy costs?

Breaking news on Facebook You know that feeling when the call comes into the newsroom: "we have a verdict." In Cincinnati, editors made sure they used social media to let readers know, too: Verdict reached in trial of Marcus Isreal, accused in death of Warren County Deputy Brian Dulle. http://on.fb.me/sm2MQL

Note there was a quick follow-up post with a link to an article about the verdict, but the first word drew several reader comments.

LinkedIn Training When a Sacramento man died in a bike accident, the Bee found telling details on his LinkedIn profile and included them in the article:Former Senate staffer Robb Deignan dies in Davis-to-Fairfield bike ride | Sacramento Bee http://bit.ly/v74VGP

His LinkedIn profile described his current occupation as "Semi-Retired/Dog Walker" at "Self-Amused Inc.""Semi-retired and hanging out with my dog, Buddy, and cycling junkies," he wrote in the description field.

Few projects are followed as closely as the development of a new video game system. These trade publications found evidence about a next-generation Xbox console by closely examining LinkedIn profiles:

Did you know that LinkedIn trains journalists how to get scoops via LinkedIn? (Click fo more examples of how LinkedIn can help reporters.) The next session for journos is on 11/3 http://linkd.in/pMW0qX The free half-hour sessions are through a call-in number and the demo can be followed on a computer by anyone with an internet connection.

October 11, 2011

Prompt of the DayDoes your town need a superhero to fight crime? Make a reference to Phoenix Jones, the self-styled superhero arrested in a paper spray incident in Seattle. Jones's names is at the top of the Google hot search list early Tuesday morning. Here's the rest of the round up of editor tips (short url's includede to make sharing easier).

Open newsroomCall it budget, sked or newslist - when newsrooms turn process into product and plan in the open, everyone wins: http://bit.ly/ptWxaK The Guardian has started publishing its news budget on the web, letting readers in on the process. From Dan Roberts, a Guardian editor -- Have Your Say:

What if all those experts who delight in telling us what's wrong with our stories after they've been published could be enlisted into giving us more clues beforehand? What if the process of working out what to investigate actually becomes part of the news itself? It might seem a minority pursuit, but the experience of covering breaking news already suggests otherwise. Like many websites, we are discovering some of our best-read stories are the live blogs that report events as they unfold, often with brutal honesty about what we don't know or hope to find out.

What do we learn? The Guardian business news desk is kicking of the earnings season with a report on Alcoa's earnings and a politician's plan to crackdown on internet porn will be subject to a "reality check." It turns out the hidden plans of a newsroom gain nothing by being kept private.

In praising this step, Matthew Ingram of GigaOm (Memo to Newspapers: Let Your Readers Inside the Wall) says the time for secrecy is over: "Either newspapers develop a more balanced relationship with the people formerly known as the audience, by allowing them to contribute to the process, or they will find their audience has gone elsewhere."

Value of Photos -- From Your Archives, From the PoliceIn Conway, Ark., the Log Cabin Democrat has been scanning and publishing 5,000 photos a month. It organized them into what it calls the Conwaypedia. Another initiative from this Morris newspaper is Faulkner County Booked, which is attracting 300,000 pageviews a month. These steps are part of the Morris drive to put digital first. A Morris exec, Derek May, posted this more detailed explanation of what the company is doing in an attempt to reverse a 40% drop in revenue and a 75% drop in profits over five years.Digital first might have a familiar ring: Digital First, of course is the holding company for the JRC and MediaNews Group newspapers, from San Jose to New Haven. It's also the rallying cry in papers from Seattle to Wichita:In Seattle Times’ new digital-first newsroom, roles change to ‘creation, curation, community’ | Poynter. http://bit.ly/n0nzcEWichita Eagle: Testing a new organizational model for a digital-first newsroom | Knight Digital Media Center http://bit.ly/okhsUfMaking the most of every frame captured by staff photographers and your readers keeps readers engaged. When my hometown paper published a gallery showing the opening of a new fire station, our family was delighted to find this photo of my father: Photo Gallery: Canton's New Fire Station - CantonRep.com http://bit.ly/nIKxE6 One tip: allow readers to add caption material.

Many communities have seedbeds of anger over high unemployment rates and a sense that immoral financial activity enriched a privileged few while knocking millions of others into poverty. There is an equally strong sentiment that more government intervention or higher taxes will not solve the problem. Are you tapping into the strong feelings on all sides of this issue? Put up some prompts on Twitter and Facebook, with references to what is happening from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale.

A sign that organizers of these modern-day Hoovervilles are planning for the long term? Have they made provisions for toilets, hygiene, and bad weather?

Teens and tanning bedsNow that California has banned anyone under 18 from using a tanning bed, teenagers and parents in your area may have strong opinions on the role of government and the health impact of indoor tanning.Possible prompts: Should our state ban tanning beds for anyone under 18? Would you allow your teenager to use a tanning bed? California has the highest age limit. Other states have bans for under 14 year olds or for different age groups.

Parent UnionsParent unions are another California idea that may be taking root in your town. This weekend, the AP ran a piece about a new type of parent group organized to push for fundamental change in local schools. 'Parent unions' spring up in school districts from San Diego to Buffalo, N.Y., pushing for academic reform: http://apne.ws/pvf8V8Is there a parent union in your area? Do parents want the ability to force change through petition? What role should parents have in running local schools? From the article:

Behind the parent empowerment movement is a feisty Los Angeles-based nonprofit, Parent Revolution, which in 2010 pushed through a landmark law giving parents authority to force turnarounds at failing schools through a petition.

Known as the "parent trigger," the California law was the first of its kind in the nation. It inspired Texas and Mississippi to adopt similar laws and legislation is under consideration in 20 other states. Two states have voted down parent trigger bills.

On its face, the idea sounds so simple: if a school is persistently failing, give parents the power to change it. But the reality of putting that notion into practice is proving challenging, at best.

In the last two years, California, Texas and Mississippi have passed so-called "parent trigger" laws. In each, the law stipulates that if at least 51 percent of the parents of children enrolled in a school sign a petition, they can trigger change.

Traffic and Real EstateReaders are always fascinated by traffic and the status of major commercial real estate properties. As the experts of their own realms, they are also vocal. Here are examples from the Centre Daily Times page on Facebook that showed good social media instincts and good reader engagement:Traffic: A reporter and photographer are on the scene. We'll have updates online. Crash closes U.S. Route 322Real estate: Wonder why the former A&P has been vacant for all of these years? Today's story provides the background.By including Facebook as a conversation platform, the CDT involved readers in the conversation.

Follow the MoneyLooking to learn more about money in politics? @OpenSecretsDC Resource Center has guides for beginners, FAQs and more http://ow.ly/6LUTPMuch of what is published here for voters is very useful, too, for reporters.